Trio plead not guilty in Long Beach beating, kidnapping, murder

Three suspects pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges they kidnapped and murdered a Riverside man, who authorities allege was beaten with a hammer, stuffed in a car trunk and shot.

Christopher Ramirez, 20, of Mira Loma; and Jose Duenas, 19, and Antonio Portales, 21, both of Long Beach are each charged in the attack, which resulted in the Sept. 7, death of Jose Campos.

Witnesses told Long Beach Police officers they saw a person being shoved into the trunk of a car at about 11:52 p.m. in the 1200 block of 10th Street. Based on the description given, officers stopped a car a few blocks away from that location and found blood in the trunk, but no body, officials said.

Officers returned to the spot where witnesses saw the confrontation and found a gun and a bloody hammer. As the search was unfolding, another 911 call came in about a gunshot in an alley in the 1000 block of St. Louis Avenue, which is where the 24-year-old victim was found in critical condition. He died a few days later, police said.

Officers were able to link the two men, who were held in the traffic stop, to the victim and arrested them. A third suspect was found at an apartment complex near the 10th Street crime scene and he was also connected to the murder and kidnapping and arrested, police said.

Investigators said it appeared the victim met with the suspects in Riverside County earlier in the evening. After an argument, the victim was assaulted and forced into a car and driven to Long Beach, where he was attacked a second time before he was shoved into the trunk, driven a few blocks away, dumped in the alley and shot.

The three men charged in the case were ordered Wednesday to be returned to the Long Beach Superior Court on Jan. 15, for a pre-trial hearing. Each of the defendants is being held without bail, according to court staff.

The charge also includes special circumstance allegations that could result in the death penalty if the defendants were convicted on all counts.

The District Attorney's Office has not yet determined if the death penalty will be sought, authorities said Wednesday.